Superman Dark Times: Origins
by thesentence
Summary: A spin off from SDT. How old is the Nameless Superman? Where did he come from? See a collection of side stories to show his history. Two stories per volume. Complete!
1. Chapter 1

Superman Dark Times: Origins

Chapter 1

Salem, Oregon 1770 A.D. A lone cabin sits at the bottom of a grassy hill with looming storm clouds overhead. Four men on horseback sit at the very top of this hill, gazing down at the lonely cabin with a hint of disgust in their eyes. These four white men have sat on this hill for a few minutes, waiting and girding themselves for what they are about to do. The four men then don white, hooded masks and charge down the hill on their horses with shotguns and revolvers held high, ready to attack the cabin.

6 months earlier…

A slave trader parks his carriage on the side of the road, eager to meet his client. He is a slightly overweight man wearing a black colonial outfit. The slave trader steps off of his carriage and stands on the road. He motions with his hand, telling the slaves to dismount the carriage from the back. The slaves are all wearing sacks in place of clothes until someone buys them. Another carriage with a passenger's compartment pulls up beside the slave trader's carriage. The slave trader sees the man steering the carriage, a young man who seems to be in his early twenties. The young man has black hair tied back into a ponytail and has baby blue eyes with smooth skin. Nameless steps down from his carriage as the slave trader takes out a small black sack of money.

"So, are you ready to make this sale," asked the slave trader. Nameless looks at the slaves, seeing them wear nothing but torn up sack bags with chains on their arms and legs. He can't stand what he sees, people owning other people, but he has to play along for now.

"I'm ready. How much is it for one slave?"

"Twelve dollars. So how's about it, sir?"

Nameless walks over to the slaves, eying them up and down. He slowly walks by each of the ten slaves that the trader has. He stops in front of a young slave girl with light brown skin and long hair with a delicate face. Nameless stares at this girl as he makes his response.

"I'll take this one," said Nameless. The slave trader walks over and takes out his key, and then unlocks the chains for the slave girl. The slave girl stands beside Nameless, but he continues to look at the slaves. The trader notices this and makes a smirk. "Ah, are you interested in another one?"

"I'll take them all." The trader is surprised by this answer, but proceeds to unchain the slaves. Nameless walks back to his carriage and pulls out a gold bar from his money sack. The trader turns back around when Nameless hands him a gold bar. "Will this cover it," asked Nameless. The slave trader can only smile in astonishment at this man's wealth.

"Oh yes, I think this will cover it."

"Good, then we are done here." Nameless gives the gold bar to the trader and the trader takes off with an empty carriage. The slaves walk over to Nameless' carriage with one of the men addressing him. "Sir, what are you going to do with us?" Nameless reaches back into his money sack and takes out gold nuggets, handing them to each of the slaves.

"As of now, you are free. Take this gold and live your lives."

"But what will we do if this runs out," asked a slave.

"I'll have work for you, but for now you won't have to work." Nameless gets back onto his carriage when the slave girl jumps on with him. "What are you doing," asked a confused Nameless with a serious look on his face. "Take me with you. I have nowhere to live right now."

Later, the carriage arrives at a cabin at the bottom of a grassy hill. The cabin looks well-kept in shape with a lake behind it. Nameless steps off of the carriage and takes the girl's hand, helping her step down. He looks down at her as they stand face to face.

"What is your name," asked Nameless.

"Darla."

"Well then Darla, welcome to your new home, at least for now." The two walk inside the cabin and Darla sees the kitchen on the left as soon as she entered. Right in front of her is the door to the bedroom, but she is amazed by the highly polished wood floors in the cabin. Nameless escorts her into the bedroom as he peers right to the closet.

"Let me get you some clothes." Nameless searches through the closet aimlessly, searching for an outfit that would fit Darla. He takes out one of his nightgowns and hands it to her. "Sorry, but I don't have any women's clothes at this time. I live here alone, so I had no need to buy any. I'll go into town later and find something for you."

Darla stands by the lake in her borrowed nightgown, taking in the scenery of this nice and quiet spot; the clean fresh air of the woods, the ducks swimming nearby and the overall beauty of her surroundings. Nameless had given her a shorter gown, one he held onto just in case of a visitor and the gown she wears stretches down to right above her knees. Nameless returns from town, holding a blue dress and is holding it to her chest. "This should fit you." Nameless walks away a few yards and stops with his back turned towards Darla so that she has privacy. A hand then touches his shoulder as he turns to look at her. "I guess it fits," said Nameless smiling. Darla now wears a blue colonial dress with black plaid stripes and black slippers to cover her bare feet.

"So what should ah do first, Mr. Nameless?" Nameless steps beside her and puts his arm around her as they walk back toward the cabin. "I don't have anything for you to do right now, so for now just hang around here." Nameless releases his arm from Darla and walks over toward the woods.

Nameless has taken off his jacket as he is chopping into a tree with an axe. Though an ordinary man would be sweating from doing this kind of work for 10 minutes, he is far from tired. Nameless pauses for a moment to look around and make sure that no one is watching. With no one else in sight, Nameless drops his axe and with one chop from his hand, the tree begins to fall over. Right after impact, Nameless uses super speed to chop the tree into firewood. Just then, he hears a grunted gasp. Nameless darts over to where Darla is, seeing her sitting against a tree and trembling. Nameless kneels down and puts his hands on her shoulders.

"Darla, what's wrong," asked a concerned Nameless.

"I'm sorry Mr. Nameless; ah don't mean to bother you."

"You could never bother me. What's wrong?"

"Ah just had a nightmare, that's all." Nameless stands back up as he helps Darla to her feet. "I'm going to grab some of the firewood that I made. I'll see you back at the cabin." Nameless walks away from Darla, not noticing that her eyes are still full of fear because unknown to him, Darla saw everything…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Nameless and Darla sit at the dinner table inside the cabin. Darla sits across from Nameless as he is eating his steak with a maroon bib on his shirt. Darla addresses him as he is wiping his mouth off with the cloth. "Mr. Nameless, why do you live by yourself?" Nameless puts down his cloth and folds his hands on the table, looking at her with sort of a paranoid curiosity. "What do you mean, Darla?"

"What I mean is why do you live so far from the other townsfolk by this lake?" Nameless looks down at the table for a second before giving his answer. "It is because I like my privacy," said Nameless calmly, "And also because the people around here are a little too judgmental of those who are different."

"Like colored folks," asked Darla.

"Exactly." Darla looks at Nameless straight in the eyes now. "Mr. Nameless, if someone knew that you could do things… not so normal, then how would you react?"

"It would be like judging you for being black. Would you want someone to judge you before getting to know you," asked Nameless seriously. Darla thinks about what he just said and he has a point; she is a colored woman and the people in town would look down on her just for that. Thinking about what she saw in the woods, seeing Nameless chop a tree down with one hand and move faster than the eye can follow was something that scared her. However, he freed her right after buying her and treats her like a person. Darla then gives him her answer.

"No. These people around here, they think less of colored folks. When I met you, you were different from the other white men. You thought of me as a person, not a slave. It is stupid to judge people by their color or what they look like."

"It is stupid, Darla" said Nameless reassuring her, "But people still have a long way to go before overcoming their hatred and fear of the unknown. Until that day comes, I will stay solitary."

The next day, Nameless is in the kitchen, cutting up some lettuce for tonight's dinner. He wears an apron on top of his dark blue colonial pants and white shirt. He peeks at the window, seeing no one there and begins to cut the lettuce at super speed, then the carrots and finally the tomatoes. With the vegetables cut up, he looks around the kitchen and remembers that he had put the roast chicken in the oven. Unknown to him, Darla was peeking through the window while ducking her head down to avoid being seen. Once again, she saw him using his abilities without his knowledge. Reaching into the oven without any mittens on, he takes out the roast chicken to see that it is not fully cooked. With a light dose of heat vision, he fully cooks the meat and puts it down on the table. Using heat vision again, he cuts the meat up by sections and begins to fix the plates with a meat poker. Darla sits against the window sill outside, seeing more of his abilities at work. She knew about super speed and strength, but now he shoots fire from his eyes and can't be hurt. Seeing all of this has her startled, but remembering what he said has made her postpone her judgment. Darla stands up and approaches the door to the cabin when Nameless steps out, taking off his apron.

"I'm about to go into town and grab some fresh fruit. I'll be right back." Darla then stops him by taking his wrist and looks at him with a light smile. "No, it's okay. I'll get it."

"Are you sure?"

"You've done enough. Let me at least do this one thing. I haven't done any tasks since I got here."

"Alright," said Nameless giving in to her request. Darla walks over to the carriage and boards. She waves the straps, telling the horses to take off. Nameless waves to Darla as she goes off into town for the fruit.

3 months earlier…

15 black people are seen through Nameless' cabin window, picking strawberries from the crops he planted up the hill from the cabin. A black man carries two long boxes of strawberries to the front door with Nameless to greet him. He puts the boxes down as he pants heavily with the sweat pouring down his face due to hours of work. "Well sir, I'm finished." Nameless reaches into his pocket and takes out a gold nugget, handing it to the black man. "As always Mr. Nameless, you're too kind."

"I get that a lot."

"No, I mean anyone else would pay us next to nothin' for this work. It's no wonder the black folks 'round these parts are workin' here." Nameless looks down a bit, contemplating on what he said. "I try to help when I can." The black man takes off for the day with Darla walking past him into the cabin. She answers with the utmost concern in her voice. "That man had a point, Nameless. If you keep taking the black folks away from their masters, they'll come after you."

"Let them come. I'll set them straight."

"But what about the cotton fields? That is where the majority of black folks work and some of them are working here now. How do we get our cotton?"

"Darla, if they want the work done so badly, why not do it themselves?" Darla nods her head to the side, caught off guard by what he said, but once again he strikes a good point. "Okay, you got me there, but the white folks who own the fields are smaller in number."

"They still have most of their workers. They can handle it." Suddenly, four white men step into the cabin. They wear hats and suspenders with work boots and hold shotguns. The one standing in front happens to be close to Nameless in size. He has short brown hair and brown eyes with a piece of wheat sticking out of his mouth. The four men look angry and seem to be itching for a fight. The one in front speaks up. "Our slaves have skipped work to come here. You mind telling me what the hell you think you're doing?" Nameless looks at the man and crosses his arms. He then speaks to the man, almost disgusted but in a calm manner. "Eric Sykes. What brings you here?"

"You've taken our slaves from the fields, slowing down production here in town. If they don't pick our cotton, who will?"

"Why do you ask such a stupid question? If the slaves don't pick the cotton, then find someone else to do it." Sykes only continues to get angrier by his statement. "Maybe you're not listening. We need our slaves to get some work done around here."

"Better idea; do the work yourself. Maybe then you'll see what these people have to deal with on a regular basis."

"You listen to me, boy…!"

"No, you listen. You force these people to do hard work that you're not willing to do yourself, and when they finish their work you barely pay them."

"Well we don't have unlimited wealth like you do, Nameless," said Sykes retorting back. "You don't need unlimited wealth, Eric; you just need to treat your workers better."

"What I do with my workers doesn't concern you."

"Then why do several of your workers in my field have whiplashes on their backs?"

"Th-that's to keep them in their place!" Nameless now looks at the man coldly, trying desperately to hold back his anger towards the slave driver. Nameless storms out of the cabin and addresses Eric. "Come with me."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Nameless and Eric stand in the strawberry field up the hill from the cabin. Eric bends down, looking at a single strawberry plant. Nameless stands to his right, looking down at him with a serious look on his face. "Now as you know, the black folks around here have picked strawberries in my field for a few months now. It seems like an easy job. Go ahead, pick one." Eric listens and picks one of the strawberries from the plant and puts it in the box in front of him. "Seems easy enough, right? Now repeat that for 5 hours."

"5 hours?! Are you serious," asked a startled Eric. "Do you see where I'm going with this, Eric? When you force people to do work that you are not willing to do yourself, it has no meaning. Doing this for 5 hours is nothing compared to picking cotton all day with no breaks."

Eric stands up straight and begins to look angry again. "Oh, you're just the good Samaritan, aren't you? If this work is sooo simple, why aren't you doing it?"

"I have, every day. The workers here can vouch for me on that. Not only that, but they do get breaks during those five hours to keep their strength up. On top of that, I don't pay minimum wage; they work hard, so I pay them handsomely. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to check on the workers." Nameless walks off into the far side of the strawberry field with Eric yelling after him. "This isn't over, you hear me? I want my workers back!" Nameless only ignores him as he speaks with a worker in the field.

It is nighttime and the workers have gone home for the day. Nameless sits on his bed as he takes off his clothes and puts on his nightgown. Darla wears the nightgown that he gave her when she first moved in as she sits on her knees, massaging Nameless' shoulders. "You seemed tense today. Did Sykes bother you that much?" Nameless looks over his shoulder, seeing Darla put her arms around him. "I'm fine, Darla. You might as well get some rest."

"Don't worry about me. I'm worried about you."

"Shouldn't you be in your own bed, Darla?"

"You should know by now that I like keeping you company. Besides, I feel safer with you."

"Why is that?" Darla releases her arms from him and puts her hand under his chin. She brings his face to the side and brings her nose within an inch of his. "Nameless, stop trying to drive me away. Why are you so afraid to let me in? You can't enjoy being alone all the time."

"I don't enjoy it; I just don't have a choice."

"That's a lie. You told me not to judge people before getting to know them. I've been here with you for 3 months; I have gotten to know you. You always think about other people, more than yourself; you don't let anyone bully you, even Sykes and everyone is afraid of him."

"He's not that scary," responds Nameless almost smiling. "That's beside the point. You are a generous, kind, and somewhat rebellious man," Darla laughs on the last part. Nameless slowly grabs her hand and takes it away from his chin. Darla gets off of her knees and sits next to him. She looks down with uncertainty, looking at him for a second and speaks with fear in her voice.

"Nameless, I know."

"Know what?"

"I know about your powers."

"Darla, what are you talking about?"

"Nameless, I know. I've known since I moved in. I saw you chop a tree with your hand in one blow. I saw you move as fast as lightning chopping up firewood and making dinner. I saw you shoot fire from your eyes and I saw you grabbing hot metal without getting hurt. At first I was scared, but then I thought about what you said and remembered how you treated me and others." Darla grabs his hand and rests her head on his shoulder. "You are an angel, sent by God to protect us."

"I'm no angel, Darla; I'm just a man." Nameless finally lies down in bed under the cover. "Good night."

1 month earlier…

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" a black woman screams at the top of her lungs as her house burns down in front of her. Her husband tries to hold her back, trying to keep her from running into the house as she keeps screaming for the life of her baby. Nameless pushes through the crowd and charges into the burning house, causing the people in the crowd both white and black alike wonder if he is brave or just crazy. Darla makes it to the front of the crowd where the mother is.

"It's okay, miss. Nameless will save your child."

"How do you know?"

"Because I trust him."

Darla stands by in the crowd, watching patiently for Nameless to come out. The black mother can only stand there, fearing for her child as she hears its cries. A few seconds later, Nameless walks out with a baby in his arms, comforting it to assure its safety. He hands the baby to the mother and she can only cuddle it on her shoulder. "Thank you, Mr. Nameless, thank you," cries the mother. Nameless and Darla go to the rear of the crowd and walk away from the house. "That fire was no accident," said Nameless. "How do you know?"

"I saw a torch in there by the window, obviously thrown in. There have been reports of a group of white supremacists attacking black homes and anyone associated with black people."

"So what do we do?"

"I'm going to speak with the authorities. I can try to find out what we can do to stop them."

"The police won't do anything and you know it!"

"Then what do you suggest, Darla?"

"Why don't you patrol? You're strong, and a lot faster than the police."

"Darla, I'm not the law. I can't just do as I please."

"You can make a citizen's arrest. Besides, the police need a reason to take action and they certainly won't help colored folks." Just then, Nameless hears a scream. Darla notices that he looks concerned. "What is it?"

"Another house got attacked."

"White or black?"

"Does it matter?"

"Okay, go. Help those people." Nameless takes off as a blur and Darla can only stand and watch him go. "I'll be right here."


	4. Chapter 4

Six hours earlier…

Nameless and Darla walk back into the cabin, almost storming in. Nameless goes into the bedroom and pulls out a small device from the side dresser. The device is small and square-shaped with a single button on it. They both walk back outside in front of the cabin and he presses the button, bringing up a screen made of blue light. "What is that," asked Darla.

"You and everyone else wanted to know where I was getting my money from. Well, this device is the source of it. It allows me to create whatever I need."

"So what is this picture I'm seeing?"

"This is a psychometric screen. It allows me to see the history of this area, both past and present. With this, we can finally catch that white supremacist group."

"So we just stand here and wait for them to show up again," asked Darla calmly.

"Indeed. That is all we can do at this time."

Right now…

Four white men sit on horseback on top of a grassy hill, staring down at a lonely cabin. They look at the cabin with disgust in their eyes, thinking of the Nameless man who owns it. The strawberry crops burn behind them to destroy any trace of Nameless' home. Eric Sykes sits on his horse, slightly in front of the other three to lead the charge. His chiseled chin sticks up as he spits off to the side. Eric has been part of a four man white supremacist group for the past year, attacking black homes and anyone that they felt sympathizing towards them. Eric and his men take out their guns as they don their white hooded masks and begin to charge down the hill with their shotguns and revolvers held high. They close in on the cabin and begin to open fire. They stop at the front door and dismount from the horses, and then kick down the front door. The four men charge into the kitchen to see someone run out the back door. Eric runs to the back door and sees Darla running away from the cabin. He holds his shotgun and fires, barely missing. Eric walks back into the cabin and shouts angrily at his men. "Move out!"

They get back onto their horses to chase after Darla, who is holding her side after the bullet grazed her. Hatred burns in Eric's eyes, ready to scorch the very earth under him to kill this Negro woman as a reminder that black people are inferior and to hurt Nameless emotionally. Eric's men had scattered around town earlier to attack several homes. Nameless had become a citizen patrolman last month to stop him and his group. Now with Nameless busy protecting the other homes, he won't be able to protect his home or his wench. The horses take off into the woods and after Darla.

Darla leans against a tree, panting softly as she looks down at her left side. She still holds her right hand on her side, the blood staining the blue dress that Nameless bought for her 6 months ago. Nameless was close to capturing the four white supremacists six hours ago through his screen, but he found out too late that they had attacked more homes in the area. Nameless took off to help those people, leaving Darla alone at the cabin. It has only been 6 months, and yet she feels like she truly knows him now. Darla hasn't told him yet, but she has fallen in love with him. All she can think of now is to keep moving before those white supremacists catch up with her. With the wound they just gave her, they will most likely try to take her life. Darla pushes herself off of the tree and begins to start running again.

Nameless has just helped a white family escape from their home with a black servant. He leaves them to the local authorities, knowing that his work for the day is not done. Once he is out of sight, he takes off at super speed and makes it to the next house. He finds a black man lying on the ground, badly injured from the house caving in. Nameless takes out a small bottle of whiskey and gives it to the man, but while no one is looking he presses a button inside of his pocket, putting something extra inside the whiskey. Nameless then takes the bottle from the man's mouth and puts the cork back in before sewing some of his wounds. Nameless then leaves the man in the care of arriving paramedics before running off. Once by himself, he takes to the air to listen in on any cries for help from the rest of the town. "NAMELESS!"

"Darla," responds a now truly worried Nameless.

Darla is pinned to the ground under Eric's boot, staring up frightened into the barrel of his shotgun. Eric is startled when one of his men screams, suddenly snatched away by a blur. He looks behind him, seeing that the remaining two are looking around scared. They hold up their guns, only to have them snatched away by a blur. One of the men are knocked into a tree, and the other one is flipped to the ground by the blur. Eric picks up Darla from off of the ground and holds her in front of him with the shotgun barrel touching the back of her neck. "Alright, who's there?! Show yourself," shouts out Eric who is now angry and desperate. Angry because his men have been taken out, and desperate because he is the only one left. With one hand, Nameless grabs the barrel from behind and bends it backward. Nameless takes it away from him with Eric now looking at him with fear. "You're a demon!"

"The only real demon here is you, Eric. That's right, I know who is under that mask and I didn't need powers to figure it out. The murders around town; your hatred of colored people; your treatment of the cotton field workers. You had all the signs of a racist sociopath wanting to force your will on others. If you want a demon, try looking in a mirror." Eric falls to his knees, overwhelmed by what he has witnessed. Nameless walks over to Darla, looking at her wound. "I'll be fine," said an out of breath Darla. "Are you sure," asked Nameless. Eric looks at the two of them and sees Darla taking Nameless' hand. The mere sight of a Negro and a white man together sickens him. He takes a long revolver out of his pocket and points it at Nameless. This man has humiliated him for the last time, taking away his slaves and treating them like "people", hurting his business and now taking out his boys. He cocks the gun and Darla looks back. Eric pulls the trigger with Darla jumping in front of the bullet, hitting her in the gut. "No!" Nameless grabs her body and she passionately places her hand on his cheek.

"You knew that couldn't hurt me."

"I know."

"So then why? Why did you…"

"Because I don't want to see anyone attack you." Darla drops her hand and Nameless touches his forehead to hers. "Nigger bitch," retorts Eric under his mask. Nameless looks up with an unholy glare. "What did you say?"

"Does that bother you, freak? A Negro and a freak of nature; you two deserve each other." Eric points his gun again and cocks it when it explodes in his hand, causing him to grab it in pain. Nameless puts him against a tree and wraps him up in chains before removing his mask. Nameless leaves him and takes Darla's body with him into the skies above.

Outer space, present day; the arctic is no longer private enough for Nameless, so he has retreated into one of his reserve fortresses. It sits in Earth's orbit, just 100 miles away from the planet. It looks like a bottled city with a silver platform. Inside of this fortress, Nameless and Gretchen sit inside of a blue, futuristic lounge with a flat, silver small round table between them. Nameless wears blue jeans and black tennis shoes with a white Superman t-shirt.

"So this is your other fortress, Superman? Why do you need a second one?"

"This is for when anyone finds the one in the arctic."

"Well, come on. You were in the middle of a story on the way here. What happened to Darla?" Just then, a young black woman entered the lounge and reaches out her hand to shake Gretchen's. Gretchen looks up at the woman, seeing a red dress and red sandal heels. "Hi, you must be Gretchen. He has told me all about you."

"And you are," asked a confused Gretchen.

"Gretchen, that's Darla," said Nameless in an almost condescending tone. Gretchen keeps her confused look as Darla releases her handshake, looking at Nameless. "Well, were we still going to that restaurant in Hawaii?" Nameless darts out and comes right back, wearing a black suit.

"Wait a minute, I didn't know you were going out," said Gretchen.

"Sorry, I just remembered myself. You can hang around here until I get back."

"Bye, Gretchen," said Darla smiling. Gretchen looks out the window, seeing the two of them flying toward the planet below. Gretchen can't help but wonder about Superman's feelings toward Darla. "I'm going to like her a whole lot," said Gretchen sarcastically.

**The End**


	5. Chapter 5

California State Prison, 1944; Nameless stands by the front gate, wearing a prison guard's uniform and holding a nightstick. A prison bus drives through the gate, bringing in more prisoners. Nameless looks behind him at the guard tower, seeing two guards in decent shape pacing and looking out onto the prison yard. Nameless cut his hair for this job, now short and combed back under his cap.

Nameless has adopted the name Ethan Kent to get the job at the prison. To make his social life more believable outside of work, he adopted a 12-year-old girl named Marsha. He put Marsha into a mansion with a fountain out front and marble around the outer layers. Marsha herself is around 4'11 in height with very long, smooth blonde hair and blue eyes with a slim body.

Marsha was told by Ethan to tell everyone that she owns a coal mine so they won't be suspicious of their high income lifestyle, especially with Ethan working as a prison guard. The coal mine has already been set up off the coast, around one mile from the mansion. Ethan stops by there to grab at least 10 pounds of coal once in a while, then with his strength he turns the lumps of coal into diamonds. Marsha doesn't know about Ethan's powers, but does suspect something unusual about him.

It is Friday night at the Kent mansion and Ethan has replaced his prison guard uniform with a gray suit and black shoes. Marsha now wears a black dress with black slippers. She powders her face before putting the cushion back into its case and stuffing it into her purse. She grabs Ethan's hand and the two of them walk out the front door to the black 1944 Lincoln Continental.

Ethan drives the car on the Los Angeles streets this night with Marsha in the front seat. Marsha looks out the window, seeing Hollywood's sign in the distance. Marsha sees the bright lights of the movie theater as Ethan drives the car into the parking lot in front. The two of them step out of the car, locking the doors behind themselves. Marsha steps over to Ethan and takes his hand, and then the two of them stroll over to the brightly lit movie theater. Approaching the ticket booth, Ethan takes out his wallet and pays sixty-four cents for two tickets. Ethan hands one to Marsha and they enter the theater.

Ethan and Marsha stand in line for some popcorn. As the line slowly gets shorter, Marsha looks at her adoptive father. "It was nice of you to take the weekend off from prison duty. Did you love me that much?" Marsha smiles mischievously at Ethan. "A charmer as always, Marsha," laughs Ethan, "No, I did it because I wanted to do something besides think about bad guys for a while."

"And because you love me," jokes Marsha.

"Yes Marsha, because I love you," laughs Ethan.

"So can we get our popcorn already? I'm staaaaaarving!"

"We just need to wait our turn. Be patient."

"Well I don't know," said Marsha enthusiastically, "maybe if you flip your badge, they'll give you a free cola." Marsha then tugs his right arm. "Ooh, ooh, you should totally do that!" Ethan sighs at her remark. "That won't work, Marsha."

"Aaaaaah, such a buzz kill!" Marsha lets go of his arm, pouting a little but quickly loses the disappointment when she sees a movie poster on the wall to her right. She frantically waves her hands over her mouth. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Abbott and Costello! I love those guys!"

"Maybe next time, okay, Marsha?" Marsha turns back to Ethan, holding her hands down in front of her. "But Ethaaaaan, you won't have another vacation in a while! I may not get another chance!" Ethan looks down at her and gives her a gentle smile. "Tell you what, if my schedule allows it, we'll come back on Sunday. Sound good?" Marsha jumps up and he holds her in front of him as she kisses him. "Oh thank you, thank you!" Marsha stands to his right again as they finally reach the snack stand. "Yes, I'll buy a large bucket of popcorn and two Cokes." Ethan pays the cashier as he hands them their snacks. Ethan and Marsha walk over to the hallway to their right to go to their assigned auditorium.

The next day, Ethan and Marsha are at the beach. Ethan lies down under the umbrella with his hands behind his head as Marsha wears a white swimsuit. She lies down on her stomach, looking to her left at her adoptive father. Ethan wears black swim trunks because black is no color and he can absorb the sunlight better. A young woman nearby looks at Ethan's shirtless body, seeing that the man clearly works out. She looks at Ethan with lust in her eyes and a smile on her face. "That woman is staring at you," said Marsha. Ethan continues to stare skyward and Marsha sees very little emotion in his face. Marsha begins to rub his chest. "Open sesame! Come out of your bottle, Officer Kent!" jokes Marsha. Ethan looks at her with a light smile. "Oh sorry, I was just thinking."

"Yeah, well think about that woman staring at you. She wants some of that sexy muscle of yours!" Ethan sees the woman who Marsha is talking about and Marsha pretends to be a voice in his head. "Grab that ass. Grab that ass." Ethan laughs and turns back to Marsha. "Come on Marsha, I don't have time to think about that."

"Oh come on, Ethan! You're young, I'm rich (thanks to you, of course), and let's face facts: you have a rocking body! You're also an officer of the law, and women love men in uniform!"

"I just don't have time for a relationship right now. I work full-time at the prison, so I won't have time to date. Also, I am working so that you won't have to, like opening the coal mine and keeping order at the prison. Let us not forget the diamonds that I have given you to auction off for cash." Marsha leans her head toward him, her eyes filled with sympathy. "And I appreciate that Ethan, I do. I just wish that you didn't have to be so gloomy all the time. You act like you're afraid of living. When I look in your eyes, you just look so... so lonely."

A figure approaches the Kents, causing Ethan to sit up. Marsha looks right, seeing a man in a navy blue suit with a red tie and black shoes. He wears glasses and has brown hair with the front of it combed upwards and the sides of his hair boxed in. The man has brown eyes and appears to be in his forties. He reaches out his hand, and Ethan stands up to shake it. "So this is where you're spending your weekend, huh? Not bad," said the man. Ethan looks down to his left at Marsha. "Marsha, this is the warden from the prison, Rudy Jones." Marsha makes a slight wave. "So you're Ethan's boss, huh? Don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't date too many women before he goes back to work." Rudy only laughs at her comment. "Quite a girl you have here, Kent."

"Yeah, she's one of a kind. So what brings you here, Warden?"

"I wanted to congratulate you for your work at the prison. Sometimes I get the impression that you're in two places at once. I'm also amazed at how quickly you've adapted to the job, like you've done it before."

"I'm just doing my best."

"Well keep it up, Officer Kent. Another thing..." Rudy steps over and begins to whisper into Ethan's ear. "You might want to be careful. I have reason to believe that there is a spy inside the prison."

"What does the spy want," asked Ethan.

"There are false rumors going around the prison that I deal with drug cartels, and the spy wants to expose me. When I have more details, I'll let you know." Rudy pulls away and waves at Marsha before walking away. Ethan sits down in the sand and Marsha rests her chin on his left shoulder while wrapping her arms around his waist. "So what was that about?"

"Warden Jones is worried about someone trying to expose him for crimes he didn't commit."

"He seemed like a nice guy."

"Yeah, he did." There is a long pause between them before Marsha speaks up again.

"You're the spy, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Then he was lying, wasn't he," asked Marsha.

"Yes."

"You're going back to work Monday, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Great," pouts Marsha.


	6. Chapter 6

It is Monday morning at the prison as Ethan passes by each cell, placing a check mark by each name to ensure that the inmates are in their cells. After checking the names of the prisoners, he turns the list in to Warden Jones before going to the laundry room.

Ethan stands guard in the laundry room as the inmates are loading and unloading their laundry from the machines. Ethan approaches one of the inmates, a short Mexican man with short hair who appears to be in his thirties. The Mexican man sees Ethan and greets him. "Oh, Officer Kent!" Ethan responds with a smile. "Hello, Rodriguez. Staying out of trouble?"

"I don't look for trouble, Officer Kent. I try to stay away from the more violent prisoners."

"Probably a good idea. Take care." Ethan slowly walks around the laundry room to keep a lookout. He now thinks of the prisoner he just talked to, thinking about his record. Carlos Rodriguez had performed a one man bank robbery to support his family, but after the robbery attempt the police saw that the gun he used was plastic. He used a fake gun to pull off the robbery and was lucky that he wasn't shot to death. Ethan considers him a small time offender because if he had any intention of hurting anyone, he would have used a real gun.

Later in the rock field, Ethan guards the prisoners alone as two other guards are standing by the road, talking to Warden Jones. Ethan begins to listen to their conversation. "So when is the next shipment coming in, Warden," asked one of the two guards. "This afternoon. Wait until the prisoners are in the cafeteria, and then we can meet our carrier." The other guard speaks up. "So how much cocaine is it, Warden?" Rudy folds his arms. "Ten pounds. With that, we'll have more than enough to sell to the dealers and be rich men." Ethan looks away from them now, turning his attention back to the prisoners.

It is the afternoon and Ethan has just finished cleaning the shower room for the inmates. Right outside of it, Rudy stops by one of the guards and a white glow briefly comes from his eyes. The guard gets slightly dizzy for a moment as Warden Jones stops inside the shower room. Rudy sees Ethan and a brief glow comes from his eyes. Ethan begins to rub his temples and Rudy looks at his hands, feeling a strange sensation. Ethan sees Warden Jones, but the warden takes off in a hurry. Ethan begins to wonder what it was all about.

Ethan goes home for the night, arriving in the yard outside of the mansion. He steps out of the car and walks over to the front door, looking for his keys as he reaches down into his pocket. Suddenly, a transparent aura begins to flow out of him as he screams in pain, falling to his knees. Ethan looks up to his right, seeing Warden Rudy Jones standing over him. Ethan then notices a vague white glow in his irises. Rudy drops the glow in his eyes and looks at Ethan with a sadistic smile. "You've been holding out on me, Kent!" Rudy grabs Ethan by the throat and lifts him up. Just then, Marsha runs outside in her white nightgown. "Ethan!" Marsha tries to tackle Rudy but can't budge him. "Let him go!" Rudy takes his free hand and throws her against the outer wall. "Marsha," shouts Ethan. Rudy now holds Ethan's neck under his arm. "Don't worry, honey, I'm just going to borrow your adoptive father for a while." Rudy takes off into the sky with his prize as Marsha looks up in disbelief and sorrow.

"Ethan."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_Present day_

Darla and the Nameless Superman sit at their table inside of a fancy Hawaiian restaurant with a white table-cloth and windows covering the sides of the restaurant. Darla sits directly in front of Nameless in her red dress with no back and stilettos. She passionately holds his hand, smiling at him and he smiles back. Nameless lifts her hand to his face, seeing the gold wedding ring on her finger. Nameless then looks at the ring on his hand, admiring it. Nameless and Darla lean forward and kiss slowly, enjoying the moment. They sit back once again as they begin to eat their meals. Darla then loses her smile, thinking about something. "Nameless, do you remember when Rudy took you? Marsha was worried for your safety. So was I, actually." Nameless stops eating for a moment, now remembering what she is talking about. "Marsha was the only one who saw what happened that night. I didn't know until afterwards that you found her."

"I heard her shouting for help and I came. That's when I found out that you had been taken."

_California, 1944..._

Marsha had called the police station for help, but no one would take her seriously because she was a minor. She ran back outside barefoot in her nightgown screaming for help. It was then that she felt something brush past her from behind. "Marsha," said Darla. Marsha turns around, seeing Darla in a grey dress and grey high heels. Marsha runs over and hugs her. "Marsha, what happened?" Marsha answers in a scared voice. "Warden Jones took Ethan, Darla! I think he went back to the prison!" Darla caresses her head, trying to figure out what she just heard. Darla then kneels down, staring into Marsha's eyes. "How did he take him?"

"Warden Jones had this strange glow in his eyes. It looked like he was hurting Ethan."

"Are you sure of what you saw?"

"Yes! I didn't tell the police that part because they wouldn't believe me, but they turned me down anyway!"

"What happened after the strange glow?"

"The warden saw me leave the house and run over to try to save Ethan, but he used elephant like strength on me, knocking me against the outer wall. The warden then grabbed Ethan and flew into the sky." Darla now begins to look worried. "You believe me, don't you?" Darla nods and stands up. Darla then hugs Marsha again to comfort her. "Don't worry, we'll find him."

The next morning, Ethan sits on the ground inside of a storage closet. His arms are chained to the shelf to prevent his escape. He looks up to his right, seeing the sun shining through the window and hitting the wall in front of him. Rudy then enters the closet and shuts the door behind him. He then stands in front of the sunlight entering the room. "Oh yeah, that feels good. Oh I'm sorry, am I robbing you of your food," mocks Rudy. Rudy kneels down in front of Ethan and begins to revel in his findings. "If only I had found you sooner. I had no idea that there was someone else like me out there, another human with special powers. Of course, I had no idea you would have had this kind of power." Rudy briefly closes his eyes and inhales through his nose. "I know what you're thinking, Ethan. Actually, your name's not Ethan Kent; in fact, you have no name. You are also a lot older than you look. You're also married to a negro." Ethan looks up at him and Rudy just shrugs. "To each his own, I guess." Ethan continues to stare at him.

"How did you know about my wife?" Rudy looks back at him, responding calmly. "I got it from you. See, when I look at something or someone, I drain their energy, but not only that..." Rudy then points to his head. "I hear their thoughts. I know what they know. That's how I knew that Ethan Kent is not your real name." Rudy walks back over to Ethan. "You've been to a bunch of different places, man with no name. Let's see... you've been to Brooklyn... Salem, 1770... France... Egypt, you were in Egypt," asked a surprised Rudy on the last part. "You were in Japan, but not recently. You were there a long, long time ago. You're old. Really old. Impossibly old." Rudy kneels back down in front of Ethan. "At first I thought about killing you for spying on me, but then I wouldn't be able to drain you anymore. Unfortunately, I can't keep what I take with my energy drain, which is why I am keeping you here, oh and..." Rudy takes out Ethan's projector. Ethan then struggles, trying to get it back.

"I took this off of you so that you wouldn't get any ideas." Rudy stands back up and walks out of the storage closet. He locks it behind himself with a padlock to keep his guest from escaping. Rudy looks around at the empty desert. He looks up at the sun, feeling it touch him and give him more energy than it ever has before. With one leap, he takes off.

Darla asks around town to see if anyone has seen Ethan, even visits the prison that he works at. The prison guards say that Warden Jones never came in to work today either, which is weird. Darla then thinks back to what Marsha said last night and takes out her small, square-shaped purple matter projector. Pressing the button, she begins to see Warden Rudy Jones and tries to learn more about him.

Rudy lands at the First National Bank in San Diego. He walks inside and marches over to the teller window, but doesn't stop. "May I help you, sir," asked the female teller becoming suspicious as Rudy seems to be storming at her like a bull. Rudy chops down the stall in front of him and makes his way to the vault. A security guard runs in front of him, putting up his hand in defense. "Stop," shouts the guard, but Rudy tosses him aside with ease and rips open the vault. He grabs a large sack and begins to fill the bag with as much of the bank's cash as he can carry. The burglar alarm has sounded, but Rudy is not worried. He looks up briefly but then smiles, because normally he would be afraid of getting caught, but not when you're invincible. He takes the cash and walks outside before taking off in a blur.

Later, Darla is at the crime scene looking around. It is after dark, so no one can see her. She tries to use x-ray vision, but it seems to be fading. Darla then takes out a syringe gun with the needle coated in what appears to be red sunlight. It is tiny, but the vial sticking up on the top rear of it contains a miniature yellow sun. Darla sticks it into her neck and pulls the trigger, flooding her body with the energy. Her eyes flare red as her 24 hour powers are restored. She then sees fingerprints on the damaged vault door. She takes out her projector and it tells her that they belong to Rudy Jones. It also tells her that he had high concentrations of ultraviolet rays inside of him at the time of the robbery. Darla puts the projector back in her purse and takes off at super speed.

Darla hovers in the clouds, looking at the trail left by Rudy through her projector. The screen then shows her Rudy, entering a storage closet somewhere in the California desert earlier today after the robbery. She then sees inside, seeing Nameless chained down to the shelf by his arms. Rudy then generates a glow from his eyes, making Nameless cry out in pain. Darla becomes worried and at the same time, angry. Rudy then locks him back in and leaves.

Darla drops the screen and now knows where Nameless is, but she also knows that Warden Jones is a parasite, draining her husband of his powers. Darla then flies back to the arctic, a plan forming in her mind.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Marsha has just left the private school she attends, wearing a black jacket and white blouse with a red plaid skirt, long black socks just below her knees and black heeled shoes with laces. She gets into the back of the limo and begins her ride home. She tried to stay focused in school today, but couldn't stop thinking about Ethan. Marsha now silently makes up her mind as she decides what she is going to do when she gets home.

Marsha has taken off her uniform after going to her room. She has stripped down nude as she looks at a small syringe gun on her dresser with a blue glow inside of it. She stares at it as she stands there, recalling a vague message given to her by Darla last night. Darla had found out where Ethan was, but Parasite (as Darla dubbed him) is too dangerous for a normal person to approach. Marsha was told that the formula in the syringe gun will change her; however, her clothes will be destroyed during the change, hence why Marsha is naked. Marsha went to school today to live her life normally as if nothing was wrong, but Darla could sense that she really wanted to help. Marsha now clears her mind as she picks up the syringe gun and injects herself with it at the base of her neck. Just then, blue bolts spill out of her body as it seems that her atoms are being smashed...

Rudy lands in front of the deserted storage closet where he has kept Ethan trapped. He unlocks the door and steps inside, smiling at his prey. "Hello, dinner! Comfy?" Ethan looks up at him. "Where did you go this time?" Rudy responds in a satisfied voice. "You know, for the past few years, I've made deals with the Mexican drug cartels and because of their firepower, I never moved against them." Ethan becomes slightly upset. "You killed them, didn't you?" Rudy drops his smile and goes to one knee, then slowly grabs Ethan's chin. "Yes, I did, but don't get upset; they got what was coming to them. The problem with the law is that there are too many protocols to follow. Scumbags like the drug cartels in Mexico get away with murder all the time while we here in the good old US of A are more concerned about which movie will top the box office." Ethan pulls his chin away. "How dare you talk about morals, when you have robbed banks and attacking the very people you've sworn to protect. What kind of law enforcer are you?" Rudy becomes upset.

"One who has grown tired of being underpaid by the so-called public. Law enforcers are severely underpaid and yet we risk our lives to fight killers, rapists and thieves on a regular basis. I'm just taking back what I've earned, that's all!" Suddenly, the inside of the storage closet begins to rumble. Rudy slowly rises to his feet as he can feel the increasing vibrations. "Is it an earthquake," asked a puzzled Rudy but then draws a conclusion. "No, it's something else." The shaking stops and Rudy looks down at Ethan, briefly pointing at him. "Don't go anywhere." Rudy walks outside into the California desert, looking around to see nothing for miles. Rudy then hears something approaching at high-speed. "Rudy Jones," said Darla from behind. Rudy turns around and gives a light smirk. "So, I take it you're here for your husband. Well too bad; he's my meal ticket." Darla steps forward a bit. "He doesn't belong to you. Release him." Rudy drops his smirk and replaces it with disappointment.

"You must be incredibly stupid to come and face me by yourself." Darla widens her eyes a little.

"Who said I'm alone?" Rudy looks confused until he is hit by a pillar of red sunlight from above. The pillar of sunlight pins him down for 20 seconds before vanishing. Rudy stands back up and can feel that his solar power is gone. He looks forward and sees that Darla is gone. He charges into the storage closet and sees that Ethan is now gone as well. Rudy shouts in fury over the loss of his new power meal.

Darla had taken Nameless back to the fortress, placing him inside of a blue sun chamber to speed up the regeneration process. After exposing him to large amounts of blue sunlight, he begins to recover in seconds. She turns off the blue sunlight, allowing him to step out. Darla then takes his hand. "Are you okay?" Nameless smiles. "I am now. With Rudy draining me, I was starting to go hungry. So you used your projector to find me?" Darla and Nameless step away from the chamber, walking into the generator room. To their left is a giant white orb of light with clamps under it. Nameless steps over to it and reaches into the orb, then pulls out miniature blue suns and swallows them. Nameless then pats his stomach.

"That will increase my powers for a while." Darla steps in front of him worried. "What can we do about Warden Jones? The moment he sees us, he'll drain our energy!"

"That's why I swallowed those blue suns just now. Rudy can only drain so much energy before his body can't take anymore. My body is now overcharged with blue sunlight, giving me energy to spare." Darla then grabs his arm with both hands. "Nameless, you don't have to face him again. I called help." Nameless looks concerned. "Who did you call?"

Rudy finds himself in a nearby abandoned western town with a bell in the center. He walks around furious because Darla stole his new source of power. The Nameless Superman had the power of a god and that power was all his. Now he'll do anything to get it back. It also doesn't help that his flight and super speed were taken away, leaving him stranded. Rudy looks around the old western town. "Where are you?" Rudy then hears a chuckle in the distance. He blows hot air out of his nose, wanting to hurry up and find Superman so that he can drain him again. The chuckle is much closer now and he looks to his right, seeing a glowing blue entity with no hair. The being seems to be four feet tall and has the appearance of a young girl, only the girl is naked.

"Who are you," asked an enraged Rudy. The girl responds enthusiastically. "Ah, I'm not going to make it that easy for you, Rudolph the Green Nosed Reindeer!" Rudy steps closer and seems to recognize the blue girl's voice. "Marsha Kent. So, Ethan got you involved." Marsha steps closer, speaking boldly. "He and Darla didn't make me do anything. I chose to help him." Rudy chuckles. "Do you even know his real name or where he's from? Did you even think about why he adopted some random girl in the first place?"

"Ethan cared about me and that's what matters! What about you, Rudy?! You only care about yourself!"

"A man's got to look out for himself in this world, or else it will eat him alive, and speaking of eating..." Rudy's eyes glow white again, draining Marsha of her energy. Rudy begins to smile as he can feel a sudden rush. Marsha seems to suffer no ill effects for some reason. "Yes, I feel even stronger than before! What are you made of, Kent?" Marsha responds coldly. "Right now, I'm made of pure energy." Rudy makes a greedy smile. "WELL, I WANT MORE!" Rudy drains Marsha again, but she is still not flinching. Rudy's muscles have bulked up a little from the extra energy he took. "I feel like a god, and I doubt you are strong enough to stop me!" Rudy leaps from the ground, but Marsha warps in front of him. "Wanna bet?" Rudy throws a punch, but it has no effect on Marsha. Marsha then smacks him to the ground via telekinesis. Marsha floats right beside him on the ground.

"What's the matter, Rudy? Too weak to beat a girl," asked a cocky Marsha. "I'll show you weak!" Rudy pushes himself up and starts to drain Marsha again, only this time he doesn't stop. He continues his drain until his muscles have completely torn through his clothes and he grows in size to roughly eight feet tall. "YES, I FEEL EVEN MORE POWERFUL THAN BEFORE!" Marsha scoffs at him. "All that power Rudy, and what has it brought you? When will you be satisfied?" Rudy shouts out in anger. "I'M GETTING TIRED OF YOUR DAMN PREACHING! POWER IS ALL THAT MATTERS IN LIFE!" Marsha regains her earlier enthusiasm. "Well in that case, you should be nice and happy with your life!" Rudy moves with blinding speed and throws a jab, but Marsha just catches it. Rudy tries to budge, but can't move. "This... this can't be! I need more power!"

"You know what, Rudy? I'm getting tired of this fight!" A blue light surrounds him and paralyzes his body before holding him off of the ground. Marsha then removes all the excess energy from Rudy's body before he shrinks back to his former height. Marsha then drops him as he can barely stay conscious. "You see, Rudy? Power isn't everything."

Later, Marsha had brought Rudy to the fortress. Nameless had put him inside of a white room with special lights to knock out his powers, but only as long as he is in there. Marsha looks up at Nameless. "How did you know where I was," asked Nameless. Marsha smiles. "I saw your memories right after I took on energy form. That's how I knew about your fortress." Marsha now looks sympathetic. "Why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have cared." Marsha now hugs him and he pats her blue head. "I know that now Marsha, but I couldn't be too sure. I didn't know how you would react." Marsha jumps back and takes his hand, pulling him in a childish way.

"Well, come on! You said you would take me back to the movies if you had time off!" Nameless chuckles. "Okay, okay, but you might want to change your appearance." Marsha looks down at herself. "Oh yeah, energy form, plus I'm naked sooooo..." Marsha creates a gray plaid short-sleeved dress and brown sandals, then changes back to human form. Marsha then regains her smile. "Come on, let's go! I still want to see Abbott and Costello! Those guys are hilarious!" Nameless picks up Marsha in his arms and the two of them make warm smiles. "We'll fly first class." And with that, they take to the skies, back to the states.

**Next Volume: Africa, 5 years ago. Japan, 1550 A.D.**


End file.
